Flywheel



lvPatented Apr. 8, 1930 N UNITED STATI-:s

JOHN l'. DA'UZUS, 0F DETROIT, MICHIGAN' application mea apra Is, ma. l seg-m m. seam. l

My invention relates to an improved ilyl Wheel and particularly to .a ywheel adapted for employment as part of a clutch structure. An object is to provide a ily wheel so built that it automatically damps out irregularities ofvibration and tends lto produce smooth and uniform rotation and particularly duringchanges in the rate of rotation.

It is peculiarly adapted for internal combustion engine practice wherein the impulses of rotation are successively applied .at periodic intervals to a iy wheel. It is like- Wise peculiarlyv adapted to be used inA combination with clutch mechanism'intended for employment' in internal combustion en 'ne practice so as -to cushion the shock incient to engagement vof the clutch members and .minimize the character and extent thereof.

An important feature comprises the provision of a flywheel having a' weighted peripheral portion which carries a-clutch face and is adapted to cooperate with another clutch face to couple or uncouple the clutch, and which peripheral weighted ortion is so connected with the driving sha portion of the fiy wheel as to have a permitted lag with respect thereto.

Cther important features and advantages 10 will more fully appear from the following description, appended claims and accompanyin drawing, wherein:

v4`ig. 1 is a side elevation partly in section showing' my improvement.

line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

In the drawing, let.` 10 and 12 indicate a pair of aligned shafts. vShaft 10 carries a ily Wheel hereinafter described and shaft 12 carries clamping mechanism cooperating with clutch means carried by the fly wheel to couple the shafts together. Generally the structure as shown includes a flywheel indicated in assembly as 14 secured to a ange 16 on the shaft l0 by bolts 18, which fly wheel forms the female part of the clutch mechanism and carries a friction member.

A clutch part 22 is slidably secured upon shaft 12 upon the splines 20 to be moved thereover and carries friction clutch portions Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken on- 24.' 'Apressure plate 26 is supported to be' actuate by o erating devices -28 held by a spring 30 to old'the clutch` arts together and adapted lto be actuated y means not -shown to uncouple the clutch.`

l In'sofar as the general assembly is concerned, the mechanism employed is old. The particular type of clutch plate used is' beeved to be novel but it does not form the basis of this application.- However, itis not hereindisclaimed as applicant intends to file a patent application thereon.

The inventlon forming the basis of the instant application resides in the ily wheel structure. This ily wheel structure comprises a hub portion 32'which is rigidly secured as hereinaboveset forth bybolt's 18 to the flange 16 of the shaft 10. lThere is prol vided a weighted peripheral female4 clutch and ily' wheel portion 34 which is mounted upon thev hub portion 32 forming the flywheel. This portion 34 isconnected with vthe hubportion'through liXed means such as screws 36 threaded into the annular portion ,34 and having a limited movement 1n slots 38 formed in the hub art 32 so as to permit limited rotatable relative displacement of thev peripheral portion. The extent of such nliovement is limited by the extent of the s ot.

Such movement is resisted by yielding connections interposed between abutments formed on the two portions. These abutments are here-shown as radially projecting lugs 40 upon the hub portion and 42 upon the peripheral portion. Yielding connections here shown in the form of springs 44 are interposed between these lugs to resist the relative rotatable displacement of such portions and to damp out the shock incident to picking up the rotation and to any irregularities thereof. The unyielding connections 36 determine the extent of such rotatable displacement prior to complete compression of the springs 44.

'It will be seen that this outer peripheral Jrelatively rotatably displaceable part of the fly wheel is the part that carries the clutch cooperating face as illustrated in Fig. 1.

WhatI claim is:

1. In combination with a pair of ali ed rotatably supported shafts, a 'ly wheel av-l ing a clutch portion secured to one shaft, a cooperating clutch member movably lsecured to the other shaft, mechanism operable to -r move such clutch member into or out of engagement with the clutch portion of the iy wheel to couple or uncouple said shafts for rotation, the clutch portion of said iy wheel and the weighted portion thereof consisting of a unitary structure resiliently connected with the shaft ortion of the wheel to resistingly permit hmited overrunning rotatable A movement thereof.

2. In combination with a pair'of Ialigned rotatably supported shafts, a fiy wheel secured to one shaft and having aclutch pore tion, a cooperating clutch member movably secured'jto the other shaft, mechanism operable to move such clutch member into or out of engagement with the clutch portion of the y wheel to couple or uncouple said shafts for rotation, the clutch portlonA of said ily wheel and the weighted portion thereof consisting of a unitary structure separate from the shaft portion ofthe wheel and connected therewith through spring means adapted to resistingly permit said weighted and clutch 80 portion-'to lag behind the shaft portionJ and to assume different angular positions with respect thereto thereby damping out irregularities in the rotation.

3. A fly wheel havin a shaft portion and a weighted peripheral geniale clutch portion 'secured to the shaft portion to rotate therewith by yielding connections adapted to permit the weighted peripheral clutch portion to lag resistingly a limited distance, :and rigid onnections determining the extent of such ag. n y

4. A fly wheel having a vshaft portion and a weighted peripheral clutch portion secured to the shaft portion to rotate therewith by yielding connections adapted to permit the4 weighted peripheral clutch portion to lag resistingly a limited distance, and rigid connections determining the' extent of such lag adapted to take the torque off of the yielding connections prior to reaching the' limit of their yielding capacity.

In testimony whereof, I, JOHN F. DAU'KUS, sign this speclcation.

, JOHN F. DAUKUS. 

